“As a member of the LGBT community myself, I was disappointed by the fact that George was disappointed,” Quinto tells Pedestrian.TV, adding, “I get it that he has had his own personal journey and has his own personal relationship with this character, but … as we established in the first Star Trek film in 2009, we’ve created an alternate universe.”

He concludes by saying, “My hope is that eventually George can be strengthened by the enormously positive response from especially young people who are heartened by and inspired by this really tasteful and beautiful portrayal of something that I think is gaining acceptance and inclusion in our societies across the world, and should be.”

Star Trek Beyond co-writer Simon Pegg has also weighed in on the issue, telling the UK’s Guardian, “[We] loved the idea of it being someone we already knew because the audience have a pre-existing opinion of that character as a human being, unaffected by any prejudice. Their sexual orientation is just one of many personal aspects, not the defining characteristic.”

How do you feel about (this universe’s) Sulu being revealed as gay in Star Trek Beyond? Drop a comment with your thoughts below.